Why do I have an empty sac at 6 weeks? Do I still have a chance to get a baby in this case?
No worry, this writing will provide a comprehensive explanation of this phenomenon. Follow the lines below and find out the answers with full details.
What Is The Yolk Sac?
During the first days of pregnancy, the yolk sac takes responsibility for providing nourishment for the fetus to grow.
The fetus is considered the first invisible structure inside the gestational sac (GS), together with the amniotic fluid.
The GS appears like a white rime covering a clear center.
Normally, after finding herself pregnant, a woman would have a check called transvaginal ultrasound with the doctor between three and five weeks gestation.
An ultrasound wand is inserted into her vagina instead of being pressed against her abdomen. The yolk will be invisible during this checking process, only at least five weeks gestation.
Why Do You Have An Empty Sac At 6 Weeks?
An empty gestational sac at 6 weeks is known as a miscarriage type, though the conception products still exist in the uterus.
A miscarriage is a pregnancy loss happening throughout the first 23 weeks of gestation. It means the embryo or yolk sac does not exist by the time as supposed, so-called blighted ovum.
Blighted Ovum
A blighted ovum or an anembryonic pregnancy is considered a miscarriage. This phenomenon happens when a fertilized egg implanting into the womb does not grow into an embryo.
Meanwhile, the gestational sac keeps developing. As a result, you will find no embryo visible at 6 weeks of pregnancy.
However, the empty GS and placenta still release pregnancy hormones, which cause early pregnancy symptoms. In some cases, you would possibly have a positive pregnancy test due to this reason.
Causes Of A Blighted Ovum
The genetic or chromosomal issues during the process of cell division usually lead to a blighted ovum or no embryo at 6 weeks.
Throughout conception, the egg is fertilized by sperm and then will start to divide.
After about ten days, there is an embryo created by the cells. Once the embryo does not form during this period or stops developing after forming, this condition is called a blighted ovum.
Other Signs Of Miscarriage
A blighted ovum, a type of miscarriage, would happen pretty early in pregnancy.
Thus, you might not even know that you were pregnant. Under other circumstances, you still experience other miscarriage signs.
Some common symptoms such as bleeding or cramping are a few to name.
Vaginal Bleeding
Vaginal bleeding is one of the most common and the earliest signs of miscarriage. A miscarriage would be clued by spots, also known as light bleeding, blood clots, or light gray tissue.
Some women don’t even recognize the presence of a little angel inside their belly and mistake this sign for their period.
In some cases, bleeding is normal during gestation and does not necessarily indicate a pregnancy loss.
If there are just a few drops of blood on your panty or you only notice a little blood when wiping with paper tissue, you can rest assured.
Cramping
If you have a miscarriage, you may experience cramping in the region of the abdomen or pelvis with various levels from mild to moderate.
However, the most accurate method to confirm if you have a blighted ovum or not is by taking transvaginal ultrasound.
Solutions For A Blighted Ovum
For some women, there is no treatment required for this condition as the embryo will be passed out through their vagina.
However, if it does not work, here are some treatment options for 6 weeks only gestational sac.
Dilation And Curettage
The qualified health provider opens or dilates the woman’s cervix during this surgical instrument.
Then, the contents from the uterus, including pregnancy tissues, will be removed by using suction and medical tools. The procedure is processed under general anesthesia or sedation.
Natural Miscarriage
The natural method allows you to watch the release of the pregnancy tissues, but it takes quite a long time, several days or weeks.
The healthcare provider will let you know whether your condition is suitable for this method. Once the process begins, there is bleeding, cramping, and pain in the abdominal part.
Medication-induced Miscarriage
You will use a medication named misoprostol to trigger yourself to miscarry. This method is time-saving as it reduces the time required to wait for the miscarriage to begin naturally.
After half an hour to ten hours of taking medicine, you may experience abdominal pain, bleeding, and cramping.
It may take one to a couple of weeks to recover from a miscarriage.
Especially, there will be mild cramping during the first week, while bleeding can happen for a number of weeks. When the bleeding stops, it becomes lighter.
Yet, the metal recovery takes more time. You may manifest feelings of sadness, confusion, or anger. It’s better to have your family and friends around to support you.
Can An Empty Sac Still Have A Healthy Baby?
The answer is flexible. Based on the size of the sac, there are three scenarios available:
- When it comes to very early pregnancy, though the embryo is developing, the gestation sac would be visible. After taking the ultrasound check, if the hCG levels are over 2000, the possibility for a baby is apparent.
hCG is a hormone of pregnancy used to indicate the chances of seeing a sac.
- A gestation sac with a very large size (average diameter over 25mm) has no chance of having a baby. In this case, the gestation sac and placenta would keep developing within a short time and even produce hCG.
Thus, you still have to suffer from some normal pregnancy symptoms, bleeding, pain, or nothing will happen.
- In a rare circumstance, the problem of 6 week ultrasound empty sac is due to an ectopic pregnancy. It means the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus. This serious condition poses a danger to the woman and requires treatment from the hospital.
Conclusion
Hope that you have got the answer for the condition of the empty sac at 6 weeks. Unfortunately, a blighted ovum can not turn into a baby.
Moreover, the longer you keep an empty gestational sac in your body, the more dangerous it becomes.
Thus, consider the symptoms above to have a timely solution.
